3/3/06 Another Breakfast Flight - Ted, his instructor Don, and Dale met me in Clintonville at 8:30 this morning in the Archer. They switched seats so I hopped in the copilot's seat and flew us all to Shawano. We walked down to the Best Western for the breakfast buffet. Ted offered me a front seat for the return trip but I chose to ride in the back since I rarely get to just sit back and relax. We all flew back to Brennand Airport where I was picked up by car. Fun stuff.

3/5/06 Less than a Month Till Sun n' Fun - Our weather has gone crazy. It will be nice to head to Florida next month. Yesterday it was gorgeous for March: clear sky, light wind, 40-degree temperatures. Would have been a great day for that open house I have scheduled for next weekend. March brings the winds of change, and I predict I will be doing a lot of ground instruction and computer work with forecasts like this one:

3/6/06 "You're on the Air in 30 Seconds" - Cavu Aviation has been running ads on the radio to promote learning to fly. At 8:20 my phone rang with a radio station on the other end. It was News-Talk 1490 AM, WOSH from Oshkosh, ready to ask me questions about flying and my upcoming open house in Neenah. I was on the air for about ten minutes. I was looking outside at how it is still snowing on top of our six inches of new snow, thinking about how Saturday it might be raining and 50 degrees. The open house will still go on. I hope the weather decides to cooperate so that people can take a flight. If not, they'll at least be able to get all the information they need and buy a gift certificate as a rain check.

3/11/06 Open House Goes Well - Nine prospective students showed up for my open house at Brennand Airport despite poor weather. I saw lighting during my drive and it sprinkled on us a few times. The weather didn't allow any discovery flights, but I had an airplane on display for people to sit in. The day went fast. Most of these people plan to take discovery flights as soon as the weather allows.

3/18/06 Day Full of Flying and Student's Birthday Solo - What a day. It started with me picking up a plane in Green Bay at 7:30 in the morning to take to Neenah, since the one I use is down for maintenance. Then I flew a lesson with a new student. Then my student Chris Turke flew with me later in the morning when the winds were starting to pick up and it was getting turbulent. It was his 16th birthday and I had plans to solo him, but I knew there would be no way to accomplish that in such windy conditions. He got some good crosswind practice though. I checked my watch and realized I'd have to kill some time before returning to the airport for his big surprise birthday party! So we practiced takeoffs and landings at both Oshkosh and Appleton. In Neenah we did a low pass and Chris noticed all the cars parked by the buildings. Lots of people showed up to congratulate him on all his flying accomplishments so far. His family threw him a great party with food, cake, and presents in the hangar. I told Chris and his parents to come back later because the winds would die down. After the party I had two discovery flights. Then near sunset, after it calmed down, Chris and I flew to Oshkosh where he took his first solo flight in picture perfect conditions. We returned to Neenah where several people had returned to congratulate him, including his Young Eagles pilot who gave him his first ride. What a great acheivement for someone to solo on their 16th birthday before even earning a driver's license! After it was all done I had a very nice night flight back to Green Bay landing at 8:30. It was a long day but worth it.

3/27/06 Third Student Solo - Things came together just right today for my student Steve who transferred to me a while ago, and I soloed him this morning. It was the third time I soloed someone within the past month! Another proud moment.

3/28/06 Sun 'n Fun Coming Quickly - Time flies when you're busy flying. I can't believe my Florida trip is already this week. The weather forecast is giving us headaches and we might have to leave early, like Thursday instead of Friday. This whole thing isn't going to sink into my head until the unfamiliar territory is underneath us and I think hey, wow, we're flying a small plane all the way to Florida! My schedule has been very hectic lately. I've been flying a lot, working on the Wisconsin Wing CAP web site, and on a client's web site. I have four new flight students. That's a good thing but now I hope I get to rest before this long trip. I haven't had time to update this site like I want to. More updates and pictures coming soon.

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